networking question ... sort of

[Blake]

how could i do the following or can i do this

i have a desktop thats hooked up wirelessly in my house, and it also has a built in ethernet port.

could i plug another pc into that port and get online thru the main tower? would i need a crossover cable?

ive seen the option in window where its connect thru another computer, but would it reconize that the wireless is the connection to the internet?

thanks

[jdhurst]

Hook a router into the circuit and use that. That is the best way to connect more than one PC; they are cheap; and they provide a perimiter security defense. I will no longer start up a new PC unless it is behind a hardware router until I can patch and secure it. Yes - it's that bad out there. Cheers.
... JD Hurst

[Blake]

my wireless point is a buffalo router, i just want to get net to other computers im working on and i figured i could use the main system to route other computers into

[AlphaKilo470]

Hooking up multiple computers together by means of hooking them directly into another computer will not work. A hub or router is required.

[mattfromomaha]

Yes, it actually is possible to do it. My buddy's family lives on a farm and is stuck with satellite internet that requires a PCI interface card in the desktop. To get his laptop to work wirelessly, we hooked a wireless router into the LAN port on the desktop and shared the satellite connection.

So, the laptop goes wirelessly to the wireless router, which goes into the LAN port on the desktop, which gets its internet from the PCI card hooked to the satellite.

It's truly a pain in the [censored] to get working, a router in the mix is far better, but sometimes it's not a viable solution.

[yukit]

You can setup the desktop with Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) , then connect other computers with a hub/switch, or even directly with a crossover cable to a another system.

[MadeInJapan]

Yukit and those who posted near the end of this thread so far are correct. You can use Connection Sharing and go through one computer. If only one other computer is hooked up to the ethernet port, you'll need a cross-over cable (something I did for a long time, until recently). If you have more than one computer sharing that connection, then you'll need a hub.

Of course, the best way is as mentioned earlier...use a router and either connect with wire (CAT5, ethernet/LAN cable) or wirelessly to it and leave going through computers to get to the internet out of the picture. Your connection will be faster, over-all and it will offer you the best security. Think of where you want each computer you're hooking up to the web to be in relation to each other (how far away....which rooms, etc.) and use what makes sense to you from proximity as well as from how secure you want things to be.

If cost is your concern, routers and hubs are not expensive any more and tons of people are selling these items on the eBay and other places.

Good luck!